4 Ways Tech Is Improving the Customer Service Experience

Traditionally, if business owners wanted to keep a customer happy, they had to offer a great product at a fair price. While this approach will never go out of style today, creating a superb customer experience goes a bit beyond these basics and involves technology and some other key tactics.

Here are four ways that businesses are using tech to improve the customer journey.

Using Innovative Office Phone Services

If everyone is busy helping other customers, people who are calling a business with a question may find it difficult to get through. In these cases, they may be inclined to take their business elsewhere. To ensure that no call ever falls through the cracks, businesses are using office phone services that include a number of helpful features; for instance, OfficePhone offers Interactive Voice Response to help customers get routed to the correct employee immediately, as well as voicemail and voicemail transcription options. This way, during those busy times when it’s hard to get to the phone, having an office phone system in place will guarantee that all calls are picked up and handled.

Give Customers Interaction Choices

A key way that businesses are improving the customer experience is by giving shoppers options on how they can interact with a company. As Bizfluent notes, technology is enabling businesses to give their customers the engagement options they want. For example, many grocery stores now offer self-checkout lanes that allow them to choose if they want to interact with a live cashier or handle the paying process all on their own. Other companies provide troubleshooting help and/or FAQ sections on their websites that can allow people to solve their own issues they may be having with a product. After seeing what type of help is available on a site and researching their questions, the customer can then decide if he or she wants to follow up with an email or call to the company for further assistance.

Allow Customers Multiple Ways to Communicate

Another area in which technology is helping to improve the customer experience involves communication options. In addition to providing helpful info on the company website, the site often includes a communication tool like live chat or an email address they can use to send a quick message to the company, says Inc. Thanks to the proliferation and popularity of social media sites, customers are now visiting company pages and posting their questions right there for everyone to see. Smart business owners will recognize that there are other ways to reach them other than by phone, and will be sure that their staff respond to the emails, live chat and Facebook posts in a prompt and personal way.

Speed Up the Payment Process

Years ago, most customers wrote a check to pay for their purchases. Nowadays, savvy business owners are offering as many payment options as their busy customers want. While you still might see a customer who is happy to take the time to write out a check, others prefer the fastest and most convenient payment routes possible, including paying via smartphone, and one-touch payments. Like the interaction choices mentioned above, by offering as many payment choices as possible, you will be sure to impress the customers who are looking for a specific option.

Keeping Customers Happy Is Still of Utmost Importance

While you still cannot go wrong with a friendly smile from an employee and a great deal, technology is sure making it even easier to keep valued customers happy. From a phone service that makes sure everyone’s call will be answered to interaction, communication and payment options, there are a number of tactics to improve the customer experience this year and beyond.